Keep On Loving You
by BlueBird722
Summary: Follows Scribbler's 'Look Through My Eyes' with permission from the author. A father has to prove his love for his child...but a mother will do anything to keep her baby.


All right, everyone, this is my fourth story. I was inspired to write it after reading Scribbler's 'Look Through My Eyes' (an extremely powerful read, especially about the Titans East, perhaps their darkest tale), and wondered, What happens to the baby after it is born?

Personally, I liked the character Lian in the comics-I'm not a comic person, but I thought she was adorable and it was a shame there are few stories about her in the cartoon section-and I decided to bring her in.

So overall, this is my first story involving the 'graceful willow' and how the Titans East would have accepted her (I'm interested in them for now because they were too neglected in the series). As soon as the fanfiction error clears up, I'm posting it under BeexSpeed or SpeedxChes. There are no pairings, but the story is all about the four girls and the victim.

By the way! The title comes from the REO Speedwagon song. It doesn't exactly have much to do with the story, but I like listening to it when I read LTME, and it seems suitable how eventually the father realizes he will love his baby forever, even if he was ashamed of her maternal heritage.

If you are angry about what happened to both Lian and Roy in that mud ball of a miniseries 'Cry for Justice,' join the Bring Back Lian Harper groups on this site and Facebook!

Enjoy, and many thanks to Scribbler.

* * *

FADE IN:

Ext. Steel City streets-Night

The young man with hair as orange as a carrot walked out of the cab and closed the door. "Thank you," he said to the young driver, who nodded and drove off. As soon as the yellow car disappeared from sight, the young man found a bench and slumped down.

Roy Harper-publicly known as Speedy, Green Arrow's former sidekick and member of the Titans East-was not as strong as he would've liked. True, he was a hero and enjoyed his career saving lives and stopping crime…

But it all seemed vague after what happened several weeks ago.

Cheshire. That name has been haunting his every night. He remembered her when a society of evil sent her to take him down. Years later, she somehow escaped but she did not commit the average crime, as she was no average person of evil.

Instead, she drugged him…abducted him…tortured him…and raped him.

He felt as if a knife had been shoved through his heart. Raped. An evil word that as affected generations of people. She raped him. She was likely about to kill him if Karen and the boys hadn't crashed in.

But not fast enough to stop her from impregnating herself with his child.

That's why he took a break from his mask to go to Star City, where his former mentor lives. He kicked an empty soda can across the street. He wanted to see him, talk to him, ask if he knew some girl tortured his adoptive son for days and was making him a father against his will.

But GA was not there. He went across the country for nothing.

Roy closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around himself. Did GA care about him anymore? He was going to have a child, but it wasn't his fault.

He whipped out his communicator and dialed Bee. "Speedy calling Bumbleee" was all he had to say.

Said girl answered fully awake. "Hey, how was the trip?"

"He wasn't there," he said. "I'm on my way home."

"Okay," she said. "I'll send your filler back home. Hey, uh, we scheduled a trial against her."

"What?" he asked.

Karen sat down on her bed with a look of hatred in her eyes. "I'm going to have that bitch charged with kidnapping, drug use, inappropriate touching, and rape. You came back just in time. If we're lucky, we will be able to take custody of…'it' while she is sent to jail."

It. He knew what 'it' was.

"Hurry home," she said. "The trial is in three days." He flinched when her eyes remained solid. "We're going to have her scream for mercy."

He lifted to corners of his mouth, closed the communicator, and began walking back to the cliff.

_This is basically the prologue, where I picked up where we left off in LTMY. I made GA absent because it's likely he heard that the girl raped his former ward, but I remembered that part of the show's purpose was to show teenagers from different backgrounds being forced to handle problems on their own, so I guess the team had to handle keeping the cat locked up and raising a baby without the Justice League_

* * *

He opened the door with a fluttering heart, the bell chiming for everyone to look at him. When all of the eyes flickered in his direction, he opted to turn around and run, but the Sea King's former ward put his hand on his friend's back to urge him on. He took a deep breath, nodded, and headed for the Junior's selection.

It was only seven months and the story of the rape was still hanging over the city like a violent tsunami over a small island. Seven months and he could not even go to the store without even elder citizens watching him as if he had a knife sticking out of his eye. Even still, he was uncomfortable with being in a suit store-something he rarely even saw.

When Attorney Charles asked him if he had any gray suits for court, he said no. Attorney Charles said buy some.

He laid the two $69.95 suits on the counter and sighed, almost on the verge of crying for no reason. No reason, he told himself. But he had every reason to cry.

"Two?" the clerk, Natalie, asked.

"Yes," he sighed. Natalie, with her long black hair braided and wrapped in a messy bun, scanned the suits and swapped Bee's credit card.

He watched his fellow teammates as they looked through the other suits. Karen wanted him to make his purchase first so he could prepare for the trial faster.

"Here you go," Natalie said handing him the bag with the packages. She did not purposely or accidentally brush her hand against his fingers.

He was slightly thankful for that.

"Thank you," he said sliding his fingers through the handle.

"Oh, sir," she added.

"Yes?" he asked hoping she didn't drool over him like another gazillion puppies.

She made eye contact with him and smiled brightly. "I like your shirt. It brings out the color of your hair."

He looked down at his shirt, which was light gold, and looked back at her. "Thank you," he said.

While they were leaving, he thought that her comment was strange, but maybe she was attracted to him and was trying to politely hide it.

* * *

Karen was unloading bags of pasta from the shopping bag when they came home. The twins zoomed in first to grab cups of pudding. The bowman handed her the money and sat down on the couch.

"Bee?"

"Yes," she said.

"If something happens…will you take care of my baby for me?"

There was a five second silence in the room. For a moment, she remembered when she told him about the night her mother died and the night she was no longer a child. If something happened and people were dying…would she betray the child of her teammate even if he was no longer there?

Sighing he stood up and walked back to his room.

He pulled thumbtacks and tape from the posters of him and folded or rolled them up gently. Since he was going to be a father, even if he didn't have custody (the police said there were chances the child would be put in a foster home if he did not prove to be responsible enough for fatherhood), he wanted to banish any thoughts of himself-from now on, there was no just Roy. There was going to be Roy…and his child of rape…but it was not him who committed the crime.

He shoved his _Playboy_ magazines in a moving box, slid it to the back of his closet, and slid under his bed.

Two hours later, a knock came on the door and it opened. A scent of seawater hit his nostrils and he grimaced. "What, unitard guy?"

His friend walked forward and knelt down so he peeked at him under the bed. "Bee says dinner's ready."

"I'm not hungry," he mumbled.

Garth sighed and slid down under the bed so he was lying next to Roy. "You're not ready, are you?"

Roy sighed and flexed his calves. "No…I'm really not."

Garth kicked an empty soda can away and looked up. "You'll be fine."

Talking with a boy who came from the ocean made him feel like he swallowed a feather. "How do you know that?"

The prince closed and opened his eyes. "You have made mistakes in the past, true…but you are going to forget all of that. You are going to be a dad. You are going to love your offspring so much you won't recall what-"

"Her mother freaking _raped_ me," Roy interrupted. "Do you think I'll forget about that?"

Garth sighed and elbowed him. "Karen told me that you were likely going to hate your own kid. Don't. When Aquababy was born…Arthur was so elated I knew that he forgot all about his horrible sins and deeds when he was younger."

"Aquababy's parents were married," Speedy snapped, "and conceived out of love. No way is my kid-"

"You're separated from this world because the abduction and rape still hurts you. This baby may help you push it away. It came from a horrible ordeal, but you can raise it…with us. Or alone," he added. "Whatever you choose." Garth smiled at his brooding friend. "You could raise it to be an archer like you. You could teach this child many things. If Mother's Day came around, you just tell the child that the mother was locked up for crime, but hopefully, she can look up to Karen as a mother figure."

"Karen feels she is responsible for her mother's death. How could she be a mother figure if she will keep thinking of her mother?"

Garth sighed. "Perhaps…she will…take after her mother and treat her with love and care."

Roy blinked and folded his hands over his head. "Should I keep the child? Or give it up for"-

"Keep it," Garth interrupted. "You're going to learn so much. And there is no way that baby will make you sad or miserable. That child is God's gift of happiness to you because he loves you and cares for you. Bad things happen for a reason-and at some point it is worthy of happening."

Roy smiled until his stomach growled.

* * *

The courtroom was packed. So packed people fought with each other for a seat. Watching all of this turned his heart. Attorney Charles handed him a glass of water, and he chugged it down. The twins chattered nervously, having never been in a courtroom before and anxious about how to behave. All the Gill-Boy said was to just observe him.

The doors opened and he looked up. There was sneering, short yet untamed cat-calls as the guards guided the handcuffed assassin to her attorney's table.

The twins actually hissed, and Garth elbowed them both.

She had no mask, so they could see her looking down. Curtains of black hair drank in half her face, curling at the ends. Her mid-body bulged out from her orange suit, and he instinctively grabbed Karen's hand, which squeezed back.

Even she could not dare to admit that her teammate's child was growing in that psychopath's body.

"Court's now in session, all rise for Judge Register," the loud voice demanded. The team stood up and watched the judge chamber doors open.

The judge walked in and sat down. "Everyone be seated."

The first several minutes of the trial were a big waste of time simply because she never spoke-even her lawyer could not get 'guilty' or 'not guilty' from her. Finally Karen, who self-regrettably used her mother's name along with the surname Duncan, was kicked out of the courtroom for screaming guilty and using 'improper language.' After a while, the cat finally nodded.

The next day, Bee (using her real name) testified seeing her rip her teammate to pieces with Aqualad actually confessing he had unknowingly (or so he said) taken pictures of the cat and mouse, and a scientist stated the blood…and strands of carrot hair…matched the DNA on Roy Harper's blood and hair. Cheshire was finally proven guilty and sentenced to life in prison.

The fifth day, it was declared that Roy would have full custody of the unborn child-no exception under any circumstances. The court would slip a check every month in child support.

As soon as he was declared custody, Roy wanted to cry of relief.

When they went home, Roy declared his desire to procrastinate baby-shopping for fear of a miscarriage or stillborn, and he did not know the baby's gender. Despite this, Bee made a mental list and began looking for baby products on sale ("I would have never thought our own leader would be preoccupied with looking for pacifiers for not her own baby," Garth grinned, eventually jumping into the pool to avoid a sudden trick arrow). The five, along with the fish boy, began construction on a nursery for the baby beside the father's room that the child would move into after six months. Until then, the baby would sleep in a crib beside the father or adoptive aunt. If something happened (he would try not to vomit at that thought) it could be a spare guestroom, though they were all convinced the tower would be littered not with newspaper but plush dolls, bottles, and blankets.

Several teams and friends called to make fun of them for thinking about formula and tinker toys and spoon-feeding, but Garth told Roy being a father and raising a child was worth it.

* * *

It was in the morning. Bee and the boys were drinking coffee, but Roy was barely drinking his. He had such a horrible headache due to a lack of sleep. The twins were chomping down on pancakes and chugging their chocolate milk. The sight made him want to gag.

It was at that moment that the phone rang. Everybody paused.

"Yes?" Bee asked as she answered it.

Everybody stilled and watched her. A dribble of syrup dripped from Mas's chin.

"Okay, we're getting ready. It's healthy, right? Still breathing?"

"That was?" Garth asked as she hung up.

She gave everybody a hesitant/hard glance. "The girl is in labor."

They ran to the store immediately and, in separate groups, began filling their shopping carts with countless pacifiers, diapers, baby lotion, baby shampoo, a tiny bath seat, baby-gates, toilet seat-locks, simple baby clothes, teething rings, formula, and more bath toys and stuffed animals that even Toys R Us could not hold in a year. The products were so enormous they actually had to make several trips-the twins carried everything light-weight while the others drove the bigger products home.

"You ready for this?" Garth asked Roy.

The boy bowman paused before answering, "I certainly hope so."

* * *

_Villains don't scream._

_Not even if they were in more pain than the kind from a car crash._

_That was her philosophy._

_Yet she defied her own beliefs as she screamed on the hospital bed._

_She was in her cell sleeping when she felt pain ripple through her body, so strong she rolled off the bed screaming and clutching her baby bump. Every inmate snapped awake and tried to follow the cries._

"_Call the hospital!" a guard bellowed. "An inmate is in labor!"_

_She never thought having a child was so much pain-her lower body was pulling and her breasts were swelling. The baby was trying to be born so quickly the nurses said there was no time to give her pain medicine, and they wanted a subtle punishment for her crimes against a life-saver._

_They slid her into a hospital gown, separated her shaking legs…and pushed her against the bed._

"_Push!" the obstetrician screamed._

_She held onto the bed post to hold herself up as she forced herself to push down, screaming like a puppy in pain. She did not care about her lessons about physical pain-her master and deceased husband would have been ashamed._

"_Don't do that!" the bitch screamed. "You'll hurt the baby!"_

_She screamed, months of trying to grow strong not ending up being worth it. _

_It was only two hours._

_She was screaming when another voice gave short cries and screams._

_Exhausted, she cracked her eyes open…_

…_and saw a naked, bloody baby in the hands of the obstetrician._

_She burst into tears._

_A pair of scissors snapped and she could tell the umbilical cord was already cut._

_The obstetrician looked between the crying baby's legs._

"_A girl," the obstetrician said. "Seven pounds, three ounces. Have a name for her?"_

_Jade steadied her breathing and for once the cat gave a gentle smile._

* * *

At this time, the team was on its way to the hospital, fan-girls and a news crew following in hot pursuit. Roy pulled a hat over his head in embarrassment, closed his eyes, and told himself that the mother of his child was a villain, but she was to be locked up in a tight asylum in Colorado-and would never be allowed to see her child again.

_No. My baby_, he thought harshly.

"We're here," Bee said.

He jumped over Mas's head and ran out the door, past the fan-girls catching up, and ran right into the counter.

The nurse smiled up at him. "It's okay, honey," she said. "The baby is already born."

_I'm a father_, he thought. _I'm a father now and from now on._

"You can have a seat," she said. His team walked in, signed in at the desk, and was told to patiently wait.

For about two hours, all they could do was look at the window bindings (a nurse pulled them down to avoid any 'ogling'), flip through magazines, and eat candy bars and drink bottles of lemonade. But the only thing crossing his mind was _I'm a father. My baby is upstairs, upstairs waiting to meet his or her dad for the first time in his or her life. Oh God, I don't know if it is a daughter or son yet! But my child is upstairs, upstairs, upstairs…_

"Sir?" a friendly voice asked.

He looked up at a nurse in a bear gown holding a clipboard. "Your baby is upstairs."

Karen gasped and flinched. Garth held his breath and gripped his knees. The twins froze and looked at each other.

"Follow me please."

The way up to the delivery wing was silent, so the nurse did not say anything. When he saw the glass window and all of the babies twitching in the mini beds, he felt a pang in his heart that these children were born in a dump, but not something more precious or beautiful.

"Harper?" she asked.

"Yes," he confirmed fiddling with the inside of his pockets.

"Here is your daughter."

_A girl, _he thought. _I have a baby girl-a daughter._

The nurse walked in and carried a bundle of pink blankets that she handed to him. "Her mother named her Lian- 'the graceful willow' in Chinese," she said. He pulled down the cloth and gasped. A tiny newborn was sleeping without a sound to the world and a tiny piece of red hair curled under her ears.

He made his way back to his team in the waiting room-Bee reading a magazine with Princes William and Harry on the cover, Garth watching the news about a female activist, and the twins playing with toy cars and coloring books-sat down on the couch, and held her close to him. The team looked up and stared at him with mouths agape. The twins stood tiptoe to see her face.

"Boys," Bee said. "Stand down, please. I think he wants some time with her."

"I think he wants to appreciate her before letting us see her," Garth added.

He poked her lower lip and the tip of her nose-his nose. He blinked back tears as she silently breathed; her eyes closed the most beautiful sight he had ever seen since he first opened his. Then previous thoughts from months ago came back to him. He never thought he would become a father…but he knew now that he would never hate his own kid.

Suddenly she twitched in his arms and moaned. He reached forward, picked up a toy car, and waited for her to wake.

She slowly opened her eyes and yawned sleepily. He shifted his arm and looked into a pair of unfamiliar eyes. She smiled sweetly and outstretched her hand to his chin, puckering her lips as if to kiss him.

He leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

A set of wheels reached his ears and his team jumped up, ready to strike. He looked over his shoulder and saw the unfamiliar eyes on him, a hint of jealousy in them and a hint of recapture. He shakily inhaled and pressed his daughter's face into his chest.

She smirked evilly and her hands tousled imaginary hair and caressed imaginary sides.

He sucked his lips into his mouth and pressed his baby closer to his chest. _She's mine,_ he growled mentally. _She's my daughter-my child…and you robbed me of my baby._

Karen cracked her knuckles and once again her eyes were strong enough to melt flesh and bone.

Yet the cat never took her eyes off her victim…or her child.

When she was being wheeled to the entrance doors, they stood up and followed. Outside, a swarm of photographers big enough to fill an entire shopping mall began screaming and snapping lights, variations of 'how dare you' and 'you are going to die, you sinful, evil bitch!' A news reporter began talking in front of the camera, and security guards pushed back several teenage girls with literally rotten tomatoes and raw eggs. It made Karen feel as if she was on the red carpet.

They watched her being pushed into the asylum truck and helped her settle onto the seats, as the news lady reported, "for attacking the sex-symbol young archer-hero Speedy of the Titans East in a basement and impregnating herself with his baby."

The teenagers shrieked as the van drove away and Jade was being driven for testing and imprisonment. Then they turned to see the Titans at the doors, a bundle of pink blankets in their fantasy boy's arms.

The police drove the photographers and fan-girls away while they guided the team to the parking lot, Speedy hiding Lian's face from everyone and focusing on Karen's mouse-ear hair. Hands reached out for him and he had a sudden fear of his graceful willow being ripped from his arms. He shifted his soon-to-be screaming little girl's head and slid into the back seat of the car, Menos closing the door behind him.

Lian moaned as if she was about to cry and her father shushed her while patting her small back. They drove out of the parking lot and did not see another camera or teenage girl after twenty-five minutes.

The ride home was quiet. Bee drove the boys home while Mas snored on Garth's shoulder, having fallen asleep in the hospital. In the back, Menos struggled with a Rubik's cube, growling and snarling.

Beside him, Roy stroked his daughter as she slept, occasionally twitching her nose or lips and moaning. The more he looked at her, the more he loved her and wanted to protect her. Nobody said anything, for there was meant to be no noise. He allowed Menos to pat her head but not to hold her ("She and her father need to bond first," Garth whispered). Menos sighed, tossed the Rubik's cube aside, and leaned back in his seat.

When they finally reached their home, Karen and Roy walked out first to the living room where the diapers and bottles were sitting on the table. Beside it was a wooden crib filled with simple toys-teddy bears and a stuffed globe. He reluctantly knelt down and settled her onto the sheets. She winced and moved her arms around. Bee smiled and went back to the garage while Roy slid a teddy bear under her arm, smoothed the hairs on her nape, and kissed the top of her head.

The three other boys walked in as he pulled himself up and turned around. They nodded, wished him a good night, and went off to bed.

"She's so beautiful," Bumblebee whispered.

Roy looked over his shoulder and smiled at her. "I think she's going to change me well," he whispered.

Lian twitched and sleepily rubbed her eye,

Bee nodded. "I'm going to bed," she said. "Do you want some Five-Hour Energy?'

"Please," he whispered.

"Just remember that just because you're a dad now doesn't mean you can be lazy," she warned, elbowing him. He narrowed his eyes at her. "Uh-uh," he said. "She's going to be the one who will be lazy," he joked.

She chuckled and shoved him lightly.

* * *

_FADE IN:_

_Colorado Street-Nightfall_

_She lowered her head shamefully and inspected the handcuffs around her wrists. The guards watched her dangerously, guns in hands, ready to strike. She shifted her handcuffed feet and moaned as the childbirth pains began to diminish._

_Suddenly an idea struck her-a brilliant one. One that could help her escape this dump, return to Steel, reunite with her little Li…She smirked and vanished._

"_What the-"_

_A blow to the back of the head knocked the guard out and the alarm rang. Unfortunately, the entire staff was already down._

_By the time the driver opened the back door, the girl was gone. He painstakingly stepped inside and found her on top of him, hands on throat._

"_Tell anyone and I'll kill your wife," she hissed noting his wedding ring._

"_M-my wife is dead!" he lied. "I wear it so young girls won't swoon over me!"_

_She sneered and released him. "Continue driving," she spat._

_When the van finally reached the asylum, every guard opened the door to see that the fugitive was no longer there…and the driver was tied up and the guards were dead._

* * *

The child was now four weeks old and her father decided it was time to feed her.

After a few days in the tower, no crimes arose, so he had time to relax before taking note of her habits. Every night, she screamed, and he reluctantly awoke and picked her up, walked around, and sang a brief Navajo chant until she sighed gently.

Several teams called, wished him a happy journey into fatherhood, and squealed over the tiny redhead. If Roy was ill or too banged up, Karen cuddled her like a teddy bear.

He propped her up on a high-chair and tied a bib around her neck. She gurgled and slammed her tiny hands against the table.

"All right," he muttered, "today is my first day of spoon-feeding this little gremlin."

The others chuckled as he whipped out baby applesauce and peeled it open. "Anything bad happens, it stays here, all right?"

The four nodded. Bee and Garth sipped their coffee mugs, the twins began munching on their muffins, while Roy struggled to get Lian to open her mouth. She moaned and kept turning her head.

"Come on, kid," he whined. "It's applesauce. Every baby eats this."

"Ooh, viva applesauce!" the twins cheered. They zoomed over, snatched it from his hands, and began dunking in their little fingers.

"Hey!" he barked. "That's my baby's breakfast! And that's not really-"

The twins ate up almost the whole sample until their faces scrunched up. The older three began laughing as they spat it out and raced to the sink.

"Es horrible!" yelled Menos as he rinsed his mouth.

"Ack!" his brother agreed gagging.

Lian snorted and bounced. Her father sighed, pulled out a napkin, and wiped the drool from her face. "Okay, looks like you're having formula for breakfast."

* * *

Two hours later a meltdown occurred.

"Why didn't you tell us you visited the cat in prison?" Roy spat at Karen.

"Because I knew you would be upset-"

"Upset over what, Bumblebitch?"

"Upset that I bothered to visit her and that you would ask questions and grow insane over why she did it-"

"Well, I guess we know now that we will never know because all she said was that I was the 'right choice' and we don't know what the fuck that means-"

"Roy, calm down, you're overreacting-"

"Can it, fish-boy!" he spat. "Don't tell me you walked in just to side with her, didn't you?"

"Hell, no!" he yelled. "She just wanted to see if the cat would give her the answers-"

"And that is what makes you stupid!" Roy yelled at Karen. "You actually think she was going to say why she fucking kidnapped and raped me-"

"I thought I was-"

On the couch the twins sat nervously, Menos patting a crying Lian's back. Her tiny face was red and her stocking feet shoved into his chubby thigh. Mas had his hands over her ears hoping to calm her down.

The argument began when Karen received a call that the assassin was currently residing in prison and would never see her child again. She sighed in relief, but not when she saw that he came in with the jail guest book-he wanted to see if he could ask more about what the cat said before he noticed her name on the book a few times.

"Well, we will never find out the answers because you cornered her before she was even showing, and all we know is that she hid me for a certain reason but now we shall never know! All we know is she raped me and she almost killed me..."

He paused and clenched his teeth together. His red face was starting to shade to pink.

"Speed-"

He ignored the water prince and walked over to the couch. "Menos," he quietly demanded, "hand me my child."

He ripped his sobbing baby from Menos's arms and grabbed a leather jacket. "Where are you going?" Karen asked.

Roy did not answer as he began to slide the jacket on. When little Lian wrapped her tiny arm around his shoulder, he threw his entire team a look dirtier than mud. "The whole tower smells like rotting fish and bee shit," he spat. "I need to take my baby away from the mess."

Nobody moved as they watched him carry his daughter to the garage door.

Lian began whining when her father opened the car door and slid her into her Winnie the Pooh car seat. He shushed her, patted her back, and wiggled a set of toy keys in front of her face. "Don't worry," he whispered. "It was stupid Aunt Karen who makes this place a death camp." He seated her onto the seat, buckled her in, and kicked the stuffed bumblebee aside. "Stupid bumblebitch…"

He drove to the city for a while before the smell of decay made him nauseated. Lian began crying too and kicking her little seat. For a moment, Roy wanted to turn around and scream "Be quiet, kid! Do you have anything better to do than cry? Why can't you just scream in somebody else's ear? Nobody wants to hear you cry-"

But then he feared Bee might find that information and use it against him.

Karen, Karen, Karen...what did she ever want from him? Was she using him to practice gaining control over others? He huffed and shook his head. No...she remained haunted by being brainwashed a few times, but...was she secretly thinking he was no father figure to little Lian?

He settled into a parking space, picked her up, and calmed her down until her fingers twitched. He kissed her hairy head and rubbed her stocking feet.

Roy stopped the car, unbuckled her from her car seat, and carried her to the playground. Several mothers and (Ho ho ho!) teenage girls were there. Every one of them stared at him until he stared back. In the back of his mind he wondered if this was a bad idea.

Lian kicked her tiny feet as he set them down on the merry-go-round and pressed her closer to his chest. _This is too weird,_ he thought. In his mind, he felt embarrassed being on a child's play center with an infant whom he never prepared for. He grew up with Native Americans who taught him archery, sure, but never held a playground. Now, he was supposed to give the childhood he never had to the baby girl in his arms-the girl that came as unexpected as a slap across the face.

"Mommy, look! A baby!"

He looked up to see a tiny brunette boy running to him.

"Jacob, come back!" his mother yelled. "Maybe he-"

"It's all right," he said waving in a calming matter.

Jacob peered at the tiny, squirming squirt. "What's her name?"

"Lian," he said. "It means 'graceful willow'."

"She's pretty," the little boy said. Roy thanked him and turned Lian around. She looked up at Jacob in awe. "Aren't you the guy who shoots arrows?"

"Yes," he said.

"That's awesome! I want to use arrows, too! You're cool!"

Roy smiled. "Thanks."

"Mommy tells me something happened to you," Jacob added, "but you're still cool!"

"Jacob, honey, don't do that," his mother said kneeling in front of him and tousling his hair. "I'm sorry, sir," she apologized, "he likes to talk a lot. Jacob, some people don't like it when you talk about such things-"

"It's all right," he said, "I'm used to it."

Lian gurgled.

"Jacob and I have to go now," she said. "Say goodbye, Jacob."

The little boy walked forward and hugged them both.

"Jacob," his mother complained.

"Don't worry," he said. "I get too many hugs from teenagers who never spoke to me."

"Bye, arrow-guy!" he cheered. "Bye, baby Lian!"

Lian cooed.

"Say bye-bye, Lian," her father chuckled waving her hand.

When the two left, Roy leaned back and held her up in the air. "Ready for a spin?" he asked as he moved the circle with his feet. He laughed and Lian squealed.

* * *

When he arrived home, his team was at the table eating pizza and wings, the twins making a pile of the skin-obviously their favorite part. Lian slid her fingers into her mouth as a greeting and peered at them.

There was a long silence before tiny Lian's stomach growled and her father went to the stove to heat a bottle.

* * *

_A quiet night in Kansas proved to be deadly as she crept down the sidewalk in silence._

_She shifted her eyes around searching for anything that could move before vanishing from sight. Her lips puckered while she considered ways to sneak back into the city of steel and retrieve her little girl._

Beauty Boutique. _The very place she needed to be._

_She held up her hand and traced a circle big enough for her to slide through until she pulled the glass away. Nobody would ever suspect a somersault through a glass hole._

_Bottles of nail polish gleamed at her and a brush was placed on the counter. She smashed a rock through every security camera in the store and painted her nails, brushed her hair, and added layers of lipstick and eye shadow. For a moment, she loved her new appearance-Vietnamese women were barely considered beautiful without foreign looks-but then she instinctively smudged a tiny piece of makeup around her eyes and cheeks. She could just say that she was riding with a few friends when their car crashed int he middle of the desert, no cell phones in hand. She had to find help on foot._

_Finding clothes was her next mission._

* * *

When he awoke the next morning, he still felt raw from his fight, Karen's fat ruby lips screaming still echoing in his mind. He shook his head and looked down at the crib beside him.

He turned the radio on and a gentle theme song began playing. Smiling, he walked to the crib and saw little Lian awed and clapping her hands. "Hey, princess," he said kid-friendly. "You sleep good?"

She just cooed. He lifted her up and kissed the top of her head.

After changing her in the main room, he handed her a bottle and watched her suckle it dry. She laid her tiny hand on his arm and yawned. He pulled it away and began rocking her back and forth.

The alarm suddenly burst and she screamed. The others ran in.

"Oh crap!" Bumblebee yelled. "The baby needs a babysitter for missions!"

"We don't have time to search," Garth moaned.

Bee glared at the new father. "You can take the mission off, but you need to find a nanny who can work around our crime-"

"Okay, okay, go!" he yelled.

When they ran out, he comforted his crying baby and began Googling local nannies. After several minutes, he found a teenager named Chanda who was available anytime. He emailed her parents and got her approval. However, he said that he wanted to interview them to be sure they were capable of watching over a child at unexpected moments-from midnight to mornings. They agreed and he informed them that he would have one of the other Titans-his mind was on Wally-take care of her while he and the others were fighting, but he could not join in.

He looked down at Lian, who was sucking her pacifier and patting the papers, and kissed the top of her head. "I found the perfect nanny for you, angel."

Lian sucked and reached for the screen.

When his team came home preferably exhausted, he had already prepared breakfast-bacon and sausages with ketchup and breakfast chili. He was lying on his couch facedown, his eyes on his daughter's feet while her mini hands slapped his head and pulled on his hair.

"¿Tú bueno?" Mas asked.

He moved his head around, making chubby Lian squeal and clap her hands. He moved his eyes up and smiled at his flesh and blood until he saw two brown hands circle her midsection.

"What are you doing?" he asked rather harshly.

Karen threw him a nasty look. "I am putting her somewhere you should not have to worry-"

"She's staying with _me_," he huffed sitting up and putting his hands on his daughter. She awed and outstretched her hand to him. "See? She wants to sit with her parent-not her adoptive-"

"Even if her parent is too tired-or wait, should I say, _disinterested_-into paying attention to her?" she fought back.

"Not disinterested," he growled. "Just playing with her," he finished pulling her from Karen's hands. She rested her chin on his chest and reached for his chin. He bent his head until she touched his cheekbone.

Karen narrowed her eyes at him. "Meet me when she's asleep," she hissed. She turned her back for breakfast with the munching (and listening) other three boys. The boy ignored her and stroked his daughter's neck.

He sat on the couch and felt a wave of sadness wash over his face as he looked at Li's. She winced and nestled her head against his chest. He blinked and ran his knuckle down her jaw while her tiny eye looked up at the man responsible for her. This child…she was only a few weeks old-a long way from the age he was when his father died.

His father…the graceful willow would never meet her brave grandfather. Senior lost his life searching for victims of a forest fire-leaving behind his almost two-year-old son. He lost his life-and would never live to meet his own granddaughter. He will never meet or hold his first grandchild-a beautiful baby yet a child of rape-his first grandchild came to the world after a psychopath raped his own son. That's how he posthumously became a grandfather. He never knew of the granddaughter he had because he died while his son was learning to walk.

His look-a-like son sniffed and could feel tears building behind the mask.

"Roy?" Garth asked. "Are you all right?"

He tried not to blink and he stood up to retreat into his own room with his daughter in tow, the team silently watching him.

When he was with Karen was the last time he had cried. He did not shed tears when he forced himself to convince himself that an international and feared assassin had raped him and making him a father against his own will. He did not shed tears when the court ordered that the child was to live with her father. He did not shed tears when he first held his own child.

Yet…he shed tears for the first time in several months…when he was already a father.

His father died a hero and cost himself the chance to live to be a grandfather. His son grew up to be a sidekick to the world's greatest archer, a heroin addict, a hero…and a rape victim.

He was not there when his own son suffered. He was watching from heaven while his son cried out for him, someone whom he knew would never answer.

He looked at the tiny red-headed girl in his arms, her tiny wrinkled fingers moving as if she was a conductor. She looked at him with unfamiliar eyes, confusion to the world. A tear fell onto her cheek and she squealed.

He sniffed and kissed the top of her forehead. "I love you," he wept silently. "You are my heart-and I will never leave you like my own father left me. You will never follow my footsteps unless you want to. I will never become my father."

He shoved his daughter's head into his shoulder as he wept, hunching over her small body.

* * *

Amidst the baby-shopping, Bee bought a book over raising infants ("Weird to think we'd actually have this book in the tower," Garth laughed in a safe location) and it mentioned in one chapter that a child should be about a week old before given its first bath. She tapped little Lian's nose before her father scooped her up in his arms and said, "I'll do the honors."

The little baby sat on the counter while her father began to undress her. She moved her smelly head and saw the faucet running, little mountains of bubbles rising in the sink. A rubber ducky and bottle of shampoo floated in the water.

After her father tested the water, he picked her up and sat her on the bath-seat. Lian began crying at the first time she was ever in water, but then her father handed her the soap-less ducky. She slid its beak into her mouth while her father gently sprayed water over her flaming curls, causing her to yelp in surprise.

He wiped the soap over her face and would occasionally play peek-a-boo, smiling at her beautiful little open-mouthed smiles, and ran the wash rag over her limbs, belly, and back. Making sure her head was safely in the air, he snapped a picture of her first bath. _Maybe a Christmas card saying 'Wish you were here,'_ he joked to himself.

After the suds were washed off her, she watched the mountain of bubbles sink and gather at the center of the sink while her father patted her dry, rubbed lotion onto her body, and slid her into a fresh diaper and clothes with a little bow and arrow on it. He planted her onto his chest and kissed the side of her neck.

Now on the couch, he sat her on the floor in front of him and handed her a pink plush doll. She squeezed it with one arm and began wailing.

Roy picked her and the doll up, wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and began humming a soft, gentle tune.

She moaned tiredly and buried her forehead into his shoulder.

He continued until the twins zoomed in, holding a large pack of crayons. They smirked at the scene until he gave them a glare that tickled their bladders.

"She's asleep," he mouthed. They nodded, grabbed the jug of chocolate milk from the fridge, and began coloring on evidence paper.

Bee walked in a few minutes later, realized what the twins were doing, and screamed.

Lian woke up in her father's arms wailing instantly.

Bee confronted the twins at the same time as she was calming a wide-awake Lian. Snot rolled down her nose to her shirtfront.

"There, there, boo-boo," she said patting her back. "The twins are just a bunch of idiots, that's why Auntie Karen was loud, don't you cry, pretty baby…"

Lian cooed at her. She rubbed her hairy head and the tip of her nose.

Roy collapsed onto the couch. "Having a baby is exhausting," he moaned running his hands up and down his face. "Can you watch her for a few minutes while I rest?"

"Knock yourself out," she said as she hiccupped Lian. He collapsed onto the couch and closed his eyes.

* * *

_The world hurt. Everything hurt. His knees hurt. His shoulders hurt._

_His manhood hurt._

_There was hissing and moaning. His shoulders ached so bad he was about to scream._

_Then something warm began to rub against his crotch so forcefully he grit his teeth and tightened his hands tied behind the chair, his hand nothing to him._

_He felt something in the pit of his stomach that was threatening to burst if he wasn't strong enough to hold it in. Every passing second made his muscles sore and legs jerk-_

_She ran her silver claw down his arm and he released the bomb inside of him, the rest of his body still sore._

* * *

He flung his eyes open and shook.

"You okay?"

He looked up into a pair of purple eyes.

"I need to take a walk in the city."

The walk proved useless, as he could still see the ghost of saving a hysterical woman, curling up into a ball, outstretch her hand, and shove a drug into his neck…

* * *

A month later, the team decided to have her christened in a church. Nearly every honorary member attended in suits and dresses as the team walked down the aisle, the archer beaming and stroking his infant as she looked at all the similar yet different strangers.

He had Wally stand as godfather (both Barry and Ollie were consistent that they meet before going off on their own), but had a difficult time choosing between Toni and Pantha as godmother. He had a 'connection' with Toni, but Pantha was as compassionate. In the end, the wrestler said Toni could have the role as godmother. Jinx knew but didn't acknowledge why they didn't choose her, but regardless they snapped a picture of her holding the girl.

She wept as the man in white poured water over her head and said Latin phrases, but her father calmed her down. She fell asleep in his arms and woke in time for the party. She moaned at the unfamiliar people, but grew attached to them after they waved a toy in front of her face. Everybody wanted to hold her-but nobody knew of her mother's whereabouts.

* * *

_Her thighs ached and her bones felt like they were going to snap. She hunched forward, gripped her knees, and panted. Her tongue prickled and the back of her throat tasted sour._

_Behind her she heard a car drive in her direction. She looked over her shoulder and saw a police car drive in her direction._

"_Are you all right, miss?" the officer asked._

_She shook her head and leaned forward to tell him about the accident back. He called officers to the scene, asked her where her destination was, and drove her there._

_When he paused, she sliced him across the chest and walked two more miles to Steel._

* * *

One other scene took place at a local pumpkin patch shortly before Halloween. The twins were fascinated with the patch but decided not to zoom off on their own and instead stuck with the baby.

At first it was sweet-they had dressed her in a pumpkin costume and play-clothes underneath and sat her on top of the orange squash, snapping pictures and allowing her to touch the soil that dirtied her plumb face. Her uncle Garth took her riding on a hayride and she spent most of the time picking up straw and throwing it over the truck. Roy laughed when he told him that, and patted the wincing child's back. He sat her down on a pumpkin, where the twins posed with her.

Unfortunately their adventure was short-lived.

Zoooooooooooom!

Every face in the patch turned toward the loud rumble.

"Woo-hoo! Rancid is BACK, kiddos!"

The very villain who had targeted the original at home smashed the front of his motorcycle through the wet soil. Roy turned to Karen, whose eyes were wide. "Can you handle this?" he asked.

He didn't even have to look at her for Rancid to eye the entire patch and see standing and running families, the fighting-posed Titans team, and-

"Babycakes! So nice to see you after so long apart, baby! Missed me?"

"Don't call me babycakes…" she muttered under her breath. Her heart pounded so hard her chest began to feel sore.

He swung around, smashing several pumpkins and frightening Lian. Her father picked her up, slid a pacifier into her mouth, and hid her in his quiver. "Babycakes! Come on, baby, you know you want to wear less clothing aside from your tight top, girl!"

Karen grinded her teeth and whipped out her stingers. "Watch what you're saying evil McMeany Pants, or I'll throw you back in jail faster than you can blink!" she screamed. Despite her biting tone, Roy could not deny the secret lining fear in her voice.

"McMeany?" he asked in a tone of mock-confusion.

Karen's eyes watered and she flexed her arms. "Yes, Because you are a no-good, snobbish, crazy little-"

"Karen!"

Roy screamed her name as soon as Rancid kicked into high gear and his motorcycle shot right into her direction, though she missed in a second. SPLOOSH! A whirlpool of water arose from the lake and shot aiming toward the back of the motorcycle. Rancid spun around in circles and came driving toward Garth automatically.

Before the water prince could move,

SLAM!

He landed on his back, clutching his chest in pain.

Rancid laughed nonstop.

A small WHOOSH came to his attention and he narrowly dodged a heat-detecting arrow, spinning toward Roy's direction. The boy back-flipped and a red tornado began twirling in his direction.

He whipped out a chain and struck the twister.

The twins screamed and collapsed onto the ground like apples from a tree.

"You're gonna pay for that!"

He back-flipped his motorcycle and crashed into her legs, knocking her out and causing her to land in a hump. He slowed down laughing hard.

"Stingers, eh? Well, babycakes, you want a real man to –"

"Beat the living hell out of you!"

Roy flung an arrow at the taunting man, who laughed as he drove away. "Come on, kiddo-even a new daddy like you could not fire a real arrow at me-"

"You want a real arrow-this is a real arrow!"

He handed Garth, who was sitting up in pain, his quiver-said boy nearly freaked out when he saw the infant inside-and aimed a punching glove arrow at the villain, who flung off his bike. Realizing what was going to happen next, he rolled on his side and felt a heavy weight pin him down.

He groaned and turned around when he saw someone kneeing on him, fist raised in fury. Roy punched him in the face. "LEAVE-HER-THE-FUCK-ALONE-YOU-SLUG-EATING-DEATHFUL L-FAT-CRIMINAL, YOU CURSED, EVIL-"

"Roy, stop!"

He continued punching him until he noticed a rock at arm's length.

"Roy!"

"Stay out of this, Garth! He deserves anything that gets to him-"

"Roy!"

Karen pushed him off, sat on his abdomen, and grabbed him by the face. "Roy, stop! Please! It's fine! Leave him alone!"

He struggled to wiggle out of her grip. "Karen-"

"Roy…your daughter-she would not live to see her father…"

His arms began to tense. "My baby…"

She stood up, grabbed his hand, and helped him to his feet. "The police got him-you're fine."

His hands grabbed her wings and he bowed his head as if to cry.

"Roy…"

He lifted his head up and saw his daughter hanging from the sea prince's arms.

"Dude…can I have my baby?"

Without a response, he took his sucking baby from his friend's arms. And nothing-not even a pained Rancid-made a sound as he carried her to the streets, where police cars were driving up.

He pulled the little pumpkin costume from the chubby redhead and held her in his arms, no thoughts going through his head.

She began crying, tears rolling down her face, and he attempted to give her a pacifier to no avail. He checked her clean diaper. He washed her face. He bounced her up and down. Nothing made her stop.

He shushed her, carried her out of his room, and knocked on the door down the hall.

"Yes?" Karen asked, stilling when she saw him with the baby in his arms, his face in a miserable gaunt.

"Karen…you can hold her if you want."

He walked into the room, slid a kicking Lian into the tiny crib beside Karen's bed, and walked out to release is frustrations on the roof.

He aimed countless arrows at the archery target, each one releasing a pint of frustrations. He hated Rancid, he hated evil, he hated his weakness…

He hated himself.

He sat against the inner cliff and tugged on his orange spikes. Perspiration rolled down the side of his face despite the chilling air, and the smoke created an ill feeling in his gut. _Come on, man, _he screamed at himself mentally, _get a God-freaking grip on yourself! It happened! There's nothing you can do about it! Move on!_

_I can't! I remember it like I remember this team forming!_

_Admit it to yourself! You were raped!_

_No! Leave me alone!_

_You were raped!_

_No!_

The argument in his head twisted the tsunami in his abdomen. He knew he was raped, he knew it happened…

But he did not want to remember IT.

He heard a door open.

"Speedy," the glass Atlantic voice called out, the tone smoothing the storm. "Dinner's ready."

"I'm not hungry."

His friend noticed his dull, copper tone.

"Look, I know you're upset over what happened today, but…"

'It's not about that, it's…"

He heard Garth kneeling down in front of him and put his hands on his shoulders. "Come on. Your daughter's shifting her head."

When she shifted her head it meant she wanted to see her father.

"Come on," he encouraged him.

With reluctance, he stood up and followed him inside.

The twins were on the floor playing puppy with Lian, who just stared at them. Karen heated a bottle and Lian looked over her shoulder and made a sound that meant she was going to start crying.

The boys walked in, savoring the scent of boiling chicken and bread.

And when his baby saw him, she yelped and reached for him.

He picked her up, grabbed the bottle, and handed it to her. She drank the whole formula sample and white liquid dripped from her lips. Her father laughed and wiped her chin with a dishrag. He kissed the top of her head and sat down on the couch with her as she ate.

* * *

_Finally! She reached the location of her target. It was not difficult to find his residence-it hung under a cliff. Making sure it was the right one, she slowly edged her way to it._

_She leaned dangerously over the cliff, where she saw him and his teammate in the ocean, her in his arms. He wore a shirt and shorts, her in a waterproof diaper and sunhat. His friend herded a dolphin over and he leaned the girl forward. She cooed and outstretched her hand toward the dolphin, who made that noise and caused her baby to wince and lean back, a look of terror on her face._

"_Squirt," his friend said, "Be nice."_

_After about forever, she rested her tiny palm on the dolphin and kissed its head. She squealed as Squirt jumped in the air and splashed his friend. Her heart froze when his friend placed her daughter on the dolphin's back and Squirt swam away gently._

_Li cried and her father picked her up and calmed her down before Squirt continued to fascinate her. For a moment, Jade had to tell herself that she would have a better life with him._

No! _she thought angrily. She's _mine!

_She stood up and walked away, forming a plot in her mind …_

* * *

He kissed her forehead as her feet slid down the front of his shirt. She was smiling the whole time and waved to the dolphin.

"Thanks, man," he told his friend who was waving to Squirt.

"No problemo," he said. "What's Karen cooking tonight?"

"Tuna?"

His friend growled. "Kidding!"

* * *

The holiday seasons were rolling in, and this year was perhaps the busiest year in preparations. One, nothing had to be on the floor. Two, nothing had to be made of glass or small enough to fit into an infant mouth-

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, don't put that in your mouth," Roy moaned as he pulled a candle out of a wandering Li's mouth.

Three, they had to stock up on baby food before anybody else.

Lian helped set-or rather dropped-candy canes her father set on the plastic tree the team bought a year earlier. The twins held up ornaments that entertained her and sang 'Feliz Navidad' as they made a band out of pans while throwing candy in the air. Karen dressed her up in a mini Santa outfit with a belt, boots, and a hat that kept falling over her eyes. Garth constructed a Christmas card with that and sent it to every person with a communicator-about twenty people replied.

Lian watched Karen bake cookies and cheesecake while her father ate fudge cake and was rearranging the refrigerator, making room for all the holiday junk Lian was too young to put in her mouth. When the call came in to rescue many pets from their abusive home owners, Roy fed Lian a bottle and ate more fudge cake while the many animals chased his teammates away. Lian laughed until her father felt a wet spot on his leg.

After changing his wet princess, he reluctantly drove the team home while Garth coddled over Lian and the twins slept.

Ever since the boys caught Karen at the soup kitchen, they have been volunteering yearly behind and in front of the stove. Although he usually served, everybody was now crowding into the place hoping to see him and the new baby. Shirley fussed over the carrot-headed child until his legs began feeling sore. She loved the child but didn't have a playpen for the little one.

The twins, who were the entertainers, vowed to be gentle with her while they acted out their skits. Of course, everyone grew tired of the skits featuring the male carrot-head falling off a ladder or screaming of a bird biting his hand, so they had to think of something new to include the baby.

Garth leaned over the stove in his apron (and hatefully itchy hairnet!) and laughed at the twins and their skit. They dressed Mas up as Santa, Lian as an elf, and Menos as a taller elf. All the little children lined up to speak to Santa and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. Shirley made a sign saying Warning: Translations Unavailable.

Mas smiled at the children but was disappointed that they would just sit on his lap, say "a bike," and then drool over a squirming Lian who was sitting in a basket with a mini radio until they began 'leaking' on his lap.

By the time dinner was over, Mas went to the bathroom to wash the urine off while Menos sipped hot chocolate and chewed on a chocolate doughnut.

Lian bounced on her father's lap while he drank water and spoon-fed her mashed bananas.

"She is adorable!" Shirley squealed at the child who was wearing more bananas than she was eating.

"We know," Karen groaned for the millionth time. Already she began to regret volunteering this year.

Mas went back to his team and sat beside the new father, who passed him cocoa. When Lian began to cry, he outstretched his arms but her father would simply take her to the bathroom to be changed.

"What's her name again?" Shirley asked.

Garth rubbed his red forehead. "Lian," he moaned. "It means 'graceful willow'."

"Aw, think she'll be volunteering when she's old enough to walk?"

"We'll have to see," Karen sighed drinking.

Roy came back with Lian, who had a teething elf in her mouth. She pulled it from her mouth, trailing a line of drool, and put it back into her mouth.

"Can I see her?" Shirley asked.

"As long as you hold her like this," he said motioning the way Lian laid her head on the elbow. She had grown used to putting her bare skin on his mismatched hand-and was going to be forced to live with it because it was her father.

She awed at her and squeezed her until it wasn't just her muffin top that made Roy feel nauseated. Lian screamed and Bee took her away.

The next morning, every present under the tree was for the yawning redhead in the archer's arms. They opened one of her clothes-presents when they went home and revealed it to be a one-piece with tiny Christmas trees and candy canes.

* * *

_She watched from her cave and via laptop while she enjoyed her child's first Christmas. Although Lian was more interested in ripping up the wrapping paper, she did seem to enjoy her gifts-the black girl's gift of a stuffed bumblebee and educational toy, the Spanish boys' collection of _Dora the Explorer _merchandise and tiny Spanish outfits, and Garth's bag of sea animal plush toys and _Finding Nemo_ merchandise. She crawled over the toys and wrapping paper to tug on a candy cane hanging from the tree. Her father had bought her enough educational toys to become baby Einstein, but aside from the clothes, toys, and bath products, the cat sniffed at his favorite gift for her daughter-an ornament ball with a bow and arrow painted around 'Baby's First Christmas' as well as a photo ornament with her sleeping on her father's chest._

_A tiny pang in her chest reminded her that she will never be able to physically be with her daughter on her first Christmas-but there is a chance she will hold her on her first birthday…_

* * *

Every Titan called to wish the baby a merry holiday and Wally sped over to deliver their gifts for her-mainly plush animals, but bedtime books, a lullaby tape, and glowing pacifiers. Jinx even constructed her own gift-a nightlight that had a switch to either sing her a lullaby to sleep or slow dancing lights energized with her own powers. Wally fascinated-and scared-his goddaughter with his speed and pressured the team to take their picture before stealing a turkey leg and zooming off.

When Lian went to bed that night-tired from playing with her new toys and crying of a stomachache from eating too much baby food-her father read a fable about William Tale, played the nightlight, and surrounded her with all of her plush toys. Her face was the happiest look he had ever seen on a baby in their first Christmas. He watched her sleep until it spread over him as well.

* * *

_The morning after Christmas, she found the perfect way to easily reconnect with her offspring. When the team was done eating leftovers for breakfast and the black girl and water boy left to do something else, her victim decided to have the twins put on a little show for her child._

"Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, séis, siete, ocho, nueve, dies…"

Lian giggled and clapped her sticky little hands as the twins sang the numbers in Spanish, dressed in ponchos and sombreros. Roy smiled at his daughter, his arm wrapped around her middle. Sometimes the back of her heels knocked into his knees, but he was too busy loving her to care.

Unfortunately, her orange head was the last thing he saw.

Nobody expected the power to go out.

"Hey!"

Lian began crying and the twins yelped. Her father jumped up, carried her to the light switch, and tried flickering the light on.

Only an electric spark responded.

The door began pounding and he heard sparkling sizzles. "Stand back, I'll sting this door down!"

A burst of electricity shoved the door open and they could see only half her face. "I'm going to find a candle and lighter until we find out what's going on."

They came up with twelve candles ("What scent is this?" Roy asked. "Hair gel and water," Karen snapped sarcastically) until they managed to reach the garage without falling. Karen reset the electricity in an hour. "That's weird," Garth said. "It usually takes ten minutes."

Later an electrician called to say some outside force ruined the electric transporter outside. But what?

"Why can't we just make our own electricity?" Roy asked wrapping his arms under Lian's legs. "You know, hook the twins up to like a big hamster wheel?"

* * *

_The cat purred as another of her brilliant plans worked. It was the best way to reclaim her child she held only once…_

_She held the blankets in her arms and smiled at the sleeping face in the bundle. Her little one had a tiny nose, small ears, and pouty lips. She sniffed and kissed her little willow's forehead._

"_Okay, kitty cat," a nurse said walking in. "It's time to say goodbye to the child and give her to her father."_

_She shook her head and hid her baby's face. _I'm taking her with me, _she growled mentally._

"_Come on," she said reaching forward, "you know she is going to have a better life with her father-not you. Now let go so she can go to her father."_

_More nurses walked in and the nurse pulled the baby from her arms._

No, _she cried. _My baby…

_She outstretched her arms to the child she would never see again and nearly cried as the nurse walked out the door and the others put her in a wheelchair._

_She killed every nurse who repelled against her when she came. She crept to the hospital, watched each one carefully, followed her home, and attacked, stuffing the bodies into separate dumpsters. If you upset the cat, you get the claws._

_She attached the laptop wire to the satellite and patiently waited for the computer to boost. The annoying, twitching sounds reached her ears and the complicated mess popped up on the screen. She scanned her finger around the screen and found her location._

_Biting her nail nervously, she zoomed into the main room, where she saw the twins, the one with the lost tooth holding her baby in his arms while his brother drew their portrait. Through the glass her eye caught a video camera. She zoomed into the camera and found the wires connected to the same room her baby was in. Sighing, she slapped a hat and sunscreen on._

_Two hours later, she unlocked the lock code. Smirking, she injected the password-and saw the alarm bursting inside._

_The baby began crying and Menos tried to calm her down while Mas's chubby hands slapped the little keys. Smirking she typed the disable code. The keys in the house lit up like an electric piano. Mas pressed them all in a quick manner-and the security fell in the tower._

_While the black girl and fish-boy yelled at Mas and her victim calmed her baby, she taped a bomb to her laptop, threw it out to sea, and walked away while it exploded._

* * *

She slept soundly on his shoulder and wrapped her arm around her eyes. He rubbed her small back and remembered soft breathing he heard from his favorite one-night stands…

_She caressed his face softly with one hand, each stroke gentler than the previous touch. His feet, lap, and underarms were feeling hot and wet, his knees buckled together hoping it would calm his jumping abdomen. Yet it did not calm the hand running down his intestines._

_Suddenly her hand vanished and he feared she would stab his other hand. Then he heard subtle rips and felt small chills on his chest and waist. A bead of sweat ran into his eyebrow, which she caught and rubbed against his throat. Her fingers smoothed his lower abdomen and he told himself not to freak out. _

_An unexpected wave of fear spread over his thighs and mid-crotch. He grinded his teeth together and leaned back in the chair, hoping to God he would fall-_

_Before a bandage wrap was tossed around his mouth, he felt his sore crotch freeze, several more rips on the top of his jersey, and unexpected warmth._

_There was a moan of pain and pleasure and two hands squeezed his shoulders hard enough to snap them in half._

His eyes flung open and he saw that his daughter was no longer sleeping on top of him. He heard baby-laughter and sat up to find Bee changing Lian's diaper in the table, the infant gripping a stuffed duck. Bee made buzzing sounds and had a bemused look on her face.

He leaned his head back and asked for her as soon as she was done-which was suitable because it was the last time he would hold her…

* * *

_She moved the security lasers and vanished in the blink of an eye. Thanks to the hand-and-knee plungers, she was able to climb up that stubborn building and peered into each window. She did not see him yet, but she did see one of those midgets scratching his rump in his sleep._

_At last, she found him sleeping in his room, her baby in a crib beside him. Jackpot. She took her mask off and vanished._

_None of them moved. _

_She knocked on the window until he woke up. Li rubbed her eyes with her palm and turned. She knocked in a staccato rhythm until he climbed out of bed and looked out of bed and looked out the window._

_He did not open it._

_As quietly as she could, she traced a circle big enough for a fist, tracing faster until the glass crashed down onto the floor, shattering._

_The baby slowly awoke and his eyes snapped open._

_As soon as he sat up, a ball hopped in and puffed green smoke into the whole room._

* * *

He was cold. So cold he desperately wanted a sweater, the sweat on his back made him jump, his throat froze and toes stiffened…

"So you're awake now."

A cold knife slid down his spine and he looked up at the face that has haunted his nightmares for more than ten months. The painted grin, the salad-green kimono, the thick black hair…

Cheshire had abducted him again.

"What do you want from me now?" he screamed, trying to pull his hands from the ropes. "You're not going to rob me of another child again, are you?"

She rolled up her sleeves and slowly strolled toward him. As he scanned her movements, he saw two dark spots on the chest of her dress.

_No!_ he mentally screamed.

"Not exactly," she hissed dangerously, sitting on his lap, pulling her face into his. He shuddered when he felt wet spots against his chest. "Don't you see, Speedy? That's why I kidnapped and hid you months ago." She pulled her mask off and an ice fork shoved through his heart. "I wanted you to give me a baby."

He began jerking in the chair. "No! I'm not letting you! I won't let you take my baby away from me!"

She slapped him across the face, her nail markings beginning to sting him. "Not your baby-you may think just because you have raised her since her birth means she's yours, but it's not yours-mine!"

He glared at her as she wrapped a gag around his mouth and slammed the door closed in his face. He closed his eyes and began thinking of a plot in his mind.

He rocked the chair back and forth, the cracking noise swelling his ears painfully. His heart was sore, his spine ached, and his mouth was dry as sand. _Come on, come on, come on-_

He metal cheered as the chair's back legs snapped in two, making him fall back.

A parade of footsteps gradually increased and the metal door swung open, the mask that has haunted him for a whole year never sinking a smile. "Ooh, that had to hurt…"

She flashed the knives in his face and slowly trickled the points down his chest. Using every strength he had in his legs, he sent her an ankle kick only the Emerald archer could have taught him into her hip. She moaned in pain and he held her down as he stood up, still on the chair, and rubbed the rope against her claws. The top of her chair knocked her out and he ran from the room.

He dashed up the stairs fast enough to make his name make sense. The apartment looked like it came from the twenties.

"Baby…" he muttered."Baby…"

He searched every room, every bathroom, even the closet.

"Lian!" he yelled running down a hall. "Lian! Lian! Lian!"

Somewhere he heard a baby's cries. He kept calling her name until it was right beside him. He kicked the door open and saw Lian in a small basket, her tiny face red.

"Lian!" he screamed.

He ran in and pulled her from the basket. "Oh, Li!" he cried. "Oh, Lian, my baby girl!" he bellowed, his cheek pressed against her head.

He patted her small back and kicked the window down. "Come on, we're getting out of here!"

* * *

He walked in while his team was inside, the twins playing video games and eating Pop-Tarts and the older two scanning the paper. All four looked up stunned, Mas's car splitting in half.

"Cheshire took us," he explained stroking the infant's back. "But I managed to break myself free before she could kill me. She did nurse her, so she'll be attached to her because she'll crave her mother's milk…But I'm going to face it."

Karen's eyes watered as she flew over to him and hugged him. "You've overcome your fear," she whispered. "You've fought the influence she has over you."

He smiled and hugged her as well, the other boys joining in as well.

* * *

I know this was massive, but I had to do it. The majority of the Christmas pieces are from 'The Spirit of Christmas Titan' and I knew I wanted to include that. I want to say thanks for reading, and I love you all.


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